CHAPTER 409: CHAPTER 309: YANG LIQUN

"They’ve been off work for a while; they just went out and will be back soon." Mr. Lin smiled as he spoke, knowing he wanted to see Lin Aiguo.

Zhang Guoqing glanced at Zhou Xiaozheng and noticed he and his uncle-in-law, Li Jianjun, were still chatting idly. Apart from Lin Aiguo and his brother, everyone was present in the living room.

After a while, Mr. Lin looked at the two people before him with a smile. He seemed quite pleased with Yang Liqun. He didn’t have high expectations for his eldest granddaughter; finding someone like this was already a step up for her.

He waved to his grandsons to come over and keep the guests company and then stood up to move over to his two sons-in-law.

"Dad, need any help?" Li Jianjun quickly asked as he saw him approaching.

Mr. Lin pointed at the study and said, "It looks like we can’t have dinner right away, let’s go have a cup of tea in the study." He suggested tea because the living room was too noisy and not suitable for the sons-in-law to sit down.

Meanwhile, Zhang Guoqing saw Lin Dingsheng approaching and teased, "So, have you tried out any potential matches yet?" They’ve gotten quite familiar in the last two days, and Lin Dingsheng is a typical disciple of Mr. Lin. He isn’t quite like Lin Aidang, the second eldest of the Lin family, who is just like his elder brother Lin Aiguo.

Lin Dingsheng left his brothers to entertain the old lady, came over, and seeing Zhang Guoqing gloating, rolled his eyes at him.

Lin Dingsheng, now 23, had handsome features and a tall stature. As the first eldest grandson of the Lin family, he was seen as a challenging case by the elders. With his family background and personal conditions being excellent, many girls were interested in him. But he? He has always been hesitant about choosing a future partner.

"I keep meeting either men or those who look like men. Besides, I’m not like Xiao Fei in taste. Now you enjoy teasing, but I’ll get back at you tonight."

Zhang Guoqing raised an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways, "Want to spar some time? Are you sure you can take me down?"

Lin Dingsheng pointed at Zhang Guoqing, laughingly said to Yang Liqun, "See? He doesn’t accept this. The brother-in-law disciplining the brother-in-law, dare you fight back? Try it."

Zhang Guoqing laughed and said to Yang Liqun, "Did you hear that?"

Yang Liqun laughed heartily, nodding. Switching topics, he asked, "Are you two heading back after this trip to Beijing? Why not stay in Beijing?"

Lin Dingsheng frowned slightly but smiled, "It’s not that convenient to stay in Beijing. The old lady wants me to stay, but I’m afraid of being set up with dates every day. Xiao Wu should stay to accompany his uncle."

"I have to rush back to work, maybe check back in a few years. You should start looking for a girl, the sooner you get settled, the sooner Mr. Lin can have a great-grandson." Zhang Guoqing smiled and replied. If he’s not mistaken, this time, the other party probably won’t leave. Last night, Old Mrs. Cheng mentioned that Mr. Lin was seeking out opportunities for advanced studies. It seems he’s securing a chance for Lin Dingsheng. Looks like Mr. Lin couldn’t go against the old lady and decided to keep his eldest grandson.

These days, several elders in the Big Courtyard have been instilling the idea of passing the torch to their sons.

He has unexpectedly become his father-in-law’s successor, an outcome he hadn’t anticipated.

And the most interesting part is that Mr. Lin has never actively joined in the lobbying, perhaps unintentionally. On the contrary, the three sons from the Cheng family did not persuade through words but invited him to tour the military or introduced contacts to him through actions. Some things were obvious in importance.

Zhang Guoqing beamed, watching Lin Dingsheng and Yang Liqun conversing enthusiastically. It seemed that Yang Liqun had gained recognition from the Lin family; as long as Grandpa Yang from the Yang family agreed, their marriage was almost certain.

Recalling Old Mrs. Cheng’s remarks about the Yang Family, he looked at Yang Liqun and smiled knowingly.

"Xiao Wu, how about we all gather tonight? A few friends from the Courtyard will come along with you all for a drink. We can use this rare opportunity to get to know each other better and stay in touch in the future." Yang Liqun suggested.

Zhang Guoqing promptly shook his head, laughing, "Tonight really won’t work, I’ve already promised my dad to meet some elders with him. You guys go have fun first. Everyone’s in Beijing, won’t there be chances to meet in the future?"

No way was he joining them in such a gathering? Not him, and he guessed even his friends in the Big Courtyard who got along well wouldn’t want to go either.

Lin Dingsheng was about to suggest they schedule a better time for everyone. Suddenly, he recalled Fang Fei saying they’re planning a dinner party at the Zhou family tonight, intending to stay up all night.

He laughed, "Don’t expect everyone to gather tonight. You might have to take Xiao Lin out shopping, and you might end up back home meeting Grandpa Yang and the others."

Yang Liqun chuckled and nodded, "I did forget my grandpa asked me to bring Xiao Lin back for dinner. Let’s arrange another time then. We usually idle at home after work, just let us know when you’re free."

Zhang Guoqing merely nodded. He realized this buddy lacked social skills. Why force everyone to gather? If he wanted to strengthen their relationships, he should have invited the cousins present for meals and drinks in the next few days. Once their relationships were closer, it wouldn’t matter what circles they entered.

Yang Liqun continued talking about his good friends.

Zhang Guoqing continuously wore a smile, occasionally nodding. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Lin Dingsheng paying close attention, echoing the other man’s part on the familial background of several people, speaking with familiarity.

With more interaction, he felt increasingly that genetics were essential. Lin Dingsheng had inherited Gu Ruyi’s shrewdness and opportunism. No wonder Fang Fei mentioned that people grew more complex as they got older, maybe Lin sensed this?

Meanwhile, Zhou Jiao watched Lin Xuezhen and several others gathered around the old lady. She withdrew to the kitchen and saw Chen Jingru and her sisters-in-law just starting to prepare.

She furrowed her brow, silently slipped out to the corner of the living room, and saw Zhang Guoqing earnestly nodding and agreeing, with his eyes always on the child in his arms. She chuckled to herself, picked up the snacks on the coffee table, and headed to the study.

In the study, Zhou Xiaozheng idly flipped through a book, not far from Mr. Lin and his youngest son-in-law playing chess.

Zhou Jiao came in and offered Mr. Lin and the others an apologetic smile before placing the snacks in front of them. She motioned her father, indicating outside. Zhou Xiaozheng stood up, nodded to the two of them, and followed her outside.

Neither father nor daughter responded to anyone else, seeing Lin Lishan about to stand, Zhou Jiao smilingly shook her head at her and pointed outside. The two left the courtyard and went home.

After eating the dumplings cooked by Zhou Jiao, Zhou Xiaozheng cheerfully accompanied her in playing chess. He knew the Lin family was unpredictable, even having guests after work without offering them food. Still, his Jiao Jiao cared for him.

The carefree father and daughter abandoned their family and focused on chess at home, reluctantly leaving the board even when summoned.